Short answer: UnitedHealthcare’s most affordable marketplace plans are its Bronze plans, not its Silver. Across the 781 counties where it sells in Daniel’s 14 HealthCare.gov states, UnitedHealthcare has the cheapest Bronze plan in 221 (28%) but the cheapest Silver in only 57 (7%). Its lowest Silver typically costs $92 a month more than the benchmark plan that sets your tax credit. (From the CMS Plan Year 2026 plan files; reviewed by Daniel Griffin, licensed independent advisor, NPN #22052447.)
Where UnitedHealthcare Sells in 2026
UnitedHealthcare offers individual marketplace plans in 30 states for 2026. Among the 23 states where Daniel is licensed it files in 14 of the 17 that use HealthCare.gov — all except Arkansas, South Dakota and Utah — and it is on the state exchanges in Georgia, Illinois, Maryland and Virginia. In Colorado it sells as Rocky Mountain Health Plans and in Nevada as Health Plan of Nevada, both UnitedHealthcare companies. Every UnitedHealthcare marketplace plan in these states is an HMO or an EPO, so there is no out-of-network coverage outside an emergency.
UnitedHealthcare’s Prices Against the Market, State by State
| State | Counties with UHC | Plan type | UHC’s cheapest Silver, age 40 | Above the benchmark by | UHC has the cheapest Bronze in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 56 of 67 | EPO | $718 | $64 | 52 of 56 |
| Florida | 32 of 67 | HMO | $830 | $149 | 2 of 32 |
| Indiana | 5 of 92 | EPO | $601 | $139 | 0 of 5 |
| Kansas | 35 of 105 | EPO | $698 | $21 | 25 of 35 |
| Michigan | 12 of 83 | HMO | $511 | $20 | 8 of 12 |
| Mississippi | 69 of 82 | HMO | $788 | $96 | 53 of 69 |
| Nebraska | 93 of 93 | EPO | $977 | $192 | 0 of 93 |
| North Carolina | 37 of 100 | HMO | $871 | $179 | 0 of 37 |
| Ohio | 42 of 88 | HMO | $691 | $178 | 0 of 42 |
| Oklahoma | 57 of 77 | HMO | $778 | $142 | 15 of 57 |
| South Carolina | 17 of 46 | HMO | $774 | $214 | 3 of 17 |
| Tennessee | 95 of 95 | EPO | $823 | $77 | 16 of 95 |
| Texas | 218 of 254 | HMO | $791 | $37 | 47 of 218 |
| Wisconsin | 13 of 72 | HMO | $650 | $90 | 0 of 13 |
Monthly full-price premiums for a 40-year-old, median across the counties where UnitedHealthcare sells. “Above the benchmark by” is the median county gap between UnitedHealthcare’s cheapest Silver and the second-lowest-cost Silver plan. CMS Plan Year 2026 Qualified Health Plan Landscape file.
What That Means for Your Monthly Bill
Your tax credit is fixed to the benchmark: the second-cheapest Silver plan in your county. Any plan above the benchmark costs you the full difference on top of your share, and any plan below it costs less. Because UnitedHealthcare’s cheapest Silver sits above the benchmark in 695 of its 781 counties, choosing it usually means paying extra for the network.
Take a 40-year-old earning $45,000 in 2026. Their expected share for the benchmark is about $359 a month. After the credit, UnitedHealthcare’s cheapest Bronze costs them a median of about $133 a month in Texas, $140 in Kansas and $154 in Alabama, against $386 in Indiana. Its cheapest Silver costs them between $379 (Michigan) and $573 (South Carolina).
The cheap Bronze has a catch. In 775 of the 781 counties, UnitedHealthcare’s cheapest Bronze has a $10,600 deductible, so you pay the full price of most care other than preventive visits until you have spent that much. It suits someone healthy who wants protection from a large bill, not someone who sees doctors often.
Is UnitedHealthcare the right buy in your county?
Send your ZIP code. Daniel lays out UnitedHealthcare’s plans next to every other insurer’s where you live, with your tax credit applied, and checks your doctors against each network.
Get Started Right Now →Free · No obligation · Licensed in 23 states · NPN #22052447
How to Judge a UnitedHealthcare Plan
- Check the network before the price. HMOs and EPOs pay nothing out of network outside an emergency, and an insurer’s marketplace network is often not the one it uses for employer plans. A doctor who took your UnitedHealthcare card at work may not be in its marketplace plan.
- Compare against the benchmark, not the list price. What matters after the credit is how far a plan sits above or below the second-cheapest Silver.
- Read the deductible next to the premium. A low Bronze premium with the maximum deductible can cost more over a year with any real care than a Silver plan.
- Under 250% of the poverty line, look at Silver first. Cost-sharing reductions only come with Silver plans, and they cut the deductible sharply.
Changes Coming for 2027
UnitedHealthcare is growing, not leaving. Its Indiana marketplace plans expand from 5 counties in 2026 to 36 in 2027, with an approved average rate increase of 27.2% there, according to the Indiana Department of Insurance. The full 2027 picture comes out when CMS posts the 2027 plan files in late October; this page will be updated then. Open Enrollment runs from November 1, and choosing by December 15 gets you coverage from January 1. Compared with a single rival: UnitedHealthcare vs Cigna.
Private Health Insurance as an Alternative
Above 400% of the poverty line there is no tax credit, so a healthy household pays these full prices. Medically underwritten coverage, where the insurer asks health questions and can decline or exclude conditions, can price well for that household. For anyone with a real health history, the marketplace rules protect you and are usually the right place to be.
Sources
- CMS, Qualified Health Plan Landscape file, individual market medical, plan year 2026, from data.healthcare.gov. Issuer filed as “UnitedHealthcare”.
- UnitedHealthcare, New 2026 UnitedHealthcare Individual Exchange plan information: the 30 states and brand names.
- Indiana Department of Insurance, Indiana 2027 ACA filings: county count and approved rate change.
- IRS, Rev. Proc. 2025-25: the 2026 required contribution percentages used in the example.
Figures are filed rates, not quotes or offers of coverage; your price depends on your age, county, household and income. Medically underwritten coverage is not available in every state and acceptance depends on health history. Daniel Griffin is a licensed independent insurance agent, NPN #22052447, not tied to any single carrier and not affiliated with the U.S. government.